Warragamba Inclusive Play Space

Council has partnered with the Touched by Olivia Foundation to develop an exciting new inclusive play space for all children, at Warragamba Civic Park in Warragamba.

The inclusive play space is supported by the Federal Government with Angus Taylor MP, Member for Hume, and Senator Fiona Nash, Minister for Regional Development, pledging $350,000 towards the project cost. Member for Wollondilly, Jai Rowell, MP also pledged $10,000 towards the project.

Wollondilly Shire Council, the Touched by Olivia Foundation and corporate partnerships will fund the remainder of the project.

Our vision is to create a quality regional play space in Warragamba that offers play opportunities for people of all abilities, promoting social inclusion and encouraging physical activity to enhance the wellbeing of our community and visitors.

It is also anticipated that the new inclusive play space will enhance the local Warragamba economy through increased visitation to the area.

The local community has driven this project since the dismantling of the popular Kurung Muru playground at the Warragamba Dam in 1998. Kurung Muru was one of the first accessible playgrounds in Australia and was built by local dam workers in 1985 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the construction of the dam.

In 2013 Council supported the establishment of a community-led Steering Committee which, through their continued promotion of the project, was successful in having the Touched by Olivia Foundation agree to partner with the project.

Warragamba Civic Park is a triangular shaped park that is located to the north of Warragamba Town Hall, between Fourteenth Street and Weir Road. Civic Park is currently used as a park with existing playground equipment, trees and seating. A range of community buildings and activities are nearby including a primary school, pre-school, child care and neighbourhood centre.

While the design of the inclusive play space is yet to be developed, the feedback that has been received through the children’s consultation activities will be used to guide the design, along with the principles of inclusive play.

The Touched by Olivia Foundation is founded on the concept of ‘play for all’, where everyone would belong, regardless of difference. The Foundation works hard to ensure that government, corporate and communities collaborate together to create inclusive play spaces, called Livvi’s Places.

In less than 10 years, Touched by Olivia has spread its wings and opened 21 Livvi’s Places across Australia. These play spaces are underpinned by the principles of universal design and reinforce the basic right that every child needs to play.

We are working towards the new inclusive play space being opened for play in late November 2018. The following timeline provides an indicative guide to the timing of the various project stages and is subject to change as the project design and sourcing of materials becomes clearer.